My Mirror Stop

When going away camping, there are a lot of factors to think about such as planning what gears and commodities to bring along.  Some of the basic camping equipments campers should bring include tents, sleeping bags, food, and additional miscellaneous items such as insect repellants, flashlights, and celphones in case of emergencies.

These conventional camping gears will continuously be elements of the outdoor experience but when spending time in the wilderness, campers or would-be campers need to be alert about the potential dangers.  Deers, raccoons, and squirrels may not be threats but bears can prove to be really dangerous to unsuspecting campers.

Although bear attacks are rare, being oblivious and ill-equipped of every possibilities related to camping in the wilderness could count anyone in the bear attack statistics.

Bear encounters take place because of several reasons.  One of the most common is the attraction of bears to the food campers cook or throw away.  Bear attacks occur when they feel they are in danger and the most dangerous of all are mother bears whose cubs are close or wild bears who are not afraid of humans.    Bears seeing people as food could also transpire especially if those bears are in their young adult stage and have not seen people before.

Before setting up camp on a certain spot, look out for any signs of bear activity like bear tracks or animal carcasses which are signs of a wild animal who just finished its feast.  The possibility of the animal coming back to feed on the leftover is likely. 

In a spot where there are ample berries, getting far from such a location since bears are also avid feeders of berries.  Bears also often linger near water, dark and thick woods, and cliffs.

After you settled on an ideal place for a campsite, make sure you properly store your food in a bear-proof container or, if possible, you can also hoist your food high up on a tree where bears can’t get to it.  As you cook your food, make sure your tent has a considerable distance from where you’re cooking and you may also want to change clothes later on to get rid of the smell that may have gotten stuck on you.

As much as possible, eat your food outside the tent and never bring any inside.  If food becomes the cause why a bear gives you a visit, you can attempt to make it go away by making noises or shining your flashlight in its eyes.  However, if these things don’t work let it poke around on your food or try to climb up a tree if you can.  Staying unhurt is your top priority.

It is also better to camp with others than just by yourself.  The more you are in a group, the less chance of bear encounter could occur.  If you brought your children in your camping activity, don’t let them out of your site, specially duriong the night.

Getting a bear deterrent spray is one way to prepare for going camping.  Bear sprays are available on a good number of outdoor or camping stores.

If a bear visit your campsite and you don’t have a bear spray, climb a tree if you can or if you have bonfire, pick up a torch to discourage the bear to come near you but don’t make any aggressive movements unless the bear is really coming after you.  You should also stay put and not run away because doing so will only make the bear chase you and you don’t have a chance of outrunning it.  The best course of action is to stand your ground. 

If worse comes to worse and a bear is already trying to maul you down, curl up in a fetal position and protect your neck and face with your arms and hands.  If you have an opportunity to hurt its eyes, go for it.

A safe camping experience will always require a camper to always be ready for anything.